Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, January 17, 2013

UNRWA adds a works project in Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) announced that it will provide thousands of new jobs after a one-time donation made by the European Commission for a job creation program worth 14 million euros over three years.

The director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, Robert Turner, told a news conference on Thursday, "This step will contribute significantly to poverty alleviation and mitigation of the effects of the economic crisis ...in Gaza."

The program is expected to employ over 7000 unskilled workers and 4000 skilled workers in Gaza.

It was unclear what kinds of jobs these were, although Turner said that "This step will have a positive impact on the provision of services in vital sectors such as education, health and relief services and environmental health."

This makes it sound like UNRWA is the employer itself, further entrenching itself into the fabric of Palestinian Arab society rather than trying to wean it off of aid, as any decent refugee agency is supposed to.

UNRWA also announced that Saudi and Japanese projects to provide housing for "refugees" are moving forward.

Of course, this means that there is no mechanism to convert the "refugees" into regular citizens of Gaza, ensuring that Gaza and the West Bank remain the only places on the planet that people living in their "homeland" are considered "refugees."

If the EU was serious about solving the "refugee" problem, it would look into the ridiculous definition of "refugee" that UNRWA enforces. If the EU wants to create j obs in Gaza, it should do so without using it as a means to keep a "refugee" agency growing ad infiitum.

Israel ready to "apologize" to Turkey?

From Hurriyet Daily News:

Israel is ready to send a letter like one Washington sent Islamabad over the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in order to mend ties with Turkey, a senior Israeli diplomat has said.

“I see some kind of improvement and opportunities,” Daniel Ayalon, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, told daily Hürriyet about Turkish-Israeli relations, which have been frozen since the Mavi Marmara raid that resulted in the killing of nine civilians by Israeli commandos in 2010.

When asked about the preconditions of reconciliation with Turkey, Ayalon said: “For instance, I can think of creating a way of solving this by adapting the American-Pakistani formula. Remember, recently there were 24 Pakistani soldiers killed by mistake by American forces, and the Americans sent a letter that was accepted in Pakistan. And I believe this could be a good platform to clear away the issue.” When asked whether this was an apology, he said: “Yes.” “If you read the text, I think that should be very clear to everyone. The American text that was sent to Pakistan, I think this is a good base to work [from]. This is what I suggest.”

“Right now, we have some lower level and we have some back channels,” Ayalon said, when asked about the communication they have with the Turkish side.

As far as I can tell, the statement from Hillary Clinton that may have been construed as an apology was this one:

I once again reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November. I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives. Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again.

This is far from a clear apology, so the formula might be an interesting one to use. Reportedly, however, the translation of the statement to Urdu was somewhat more apologetic, it is unclear if the same is possible in Turkish.

When a tree falls on the Temple Mount, does it blame the Jews?

The Al Aqsa Heritage Foundation site reports that some Temple Mount trees fell down during last week's rainstorms.

And it is the Jews' fault.

A preliminary examination by agricultural engineers hired by the Waqf determined that the reason the trees fell is the storm and strong winds in Jerusalem.

But the Al Aqsa Foundation knows better.

They report that engineer Mahmoud Abu Venema has formed a committee of engineers to determine that the trees really fell because of Zionist digging under Al Aqsa.

He also called on the Jordanian government to form an independent scientific committee, examining samples of roots of trees that fell January 7, and soil samples, to determine the exact causes of the fall of the trees, and to look at the possibility of the presence of chemicals or solvents, or traces of excavations under this trees, and to announce the result to the public.

As usual with these sorts of committees, the results are known way before the committee is even formed. Because the truth might be nice, but it too often gets in the way of the cause.

Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Nasser Al-Barrak has forbidden democracy.

He said "the system of elections is a corrupt system that is not legitimate for Muslims... It is an exotic idea from the enemies of Islam because of their occupation of their land."

He Barrak, who often stirs debate his views, that things function on the sanctity of the election "incorporates the imitation of the kuffaar .. That understanding يرضونه us and calling us to him and rejoice with our approval for them when, as it is based on propaganda and vote buying and false claims."

He also said that voting is an "imitation of the kuffar (infidels)."

Presumably, he believes that he is the one person qualified to determine who the leaders of a nation should be.

The sheikh has also called for the death of women who drive a car in Saudi Arabia.

Midweek linkdump

From Ian:

Richard Landes: Al-Dura and the tragic legacy of lethal journalism

"The story of Muhammad al-Dura and the lethal journalism it has spawned deserve the close attention of anyone who cares about press freedom and the democratic culture it serves and preserves. No single incident better illustrates why the West has so far fared so poorly in its encounter with the forces of global Jihad in the new millennium, why Western progressives have consistently lost ground to some of the most repressive forces on the planet."

Turkish Journalist Outspokenly Defends Israel

"Bekdil continued, “Now, read that line once again, or a thousand times if you wish to: “After the Prophet Omar conquered al-Quds…” And think about why there were no mosques in Jerusalem at the time of the conquest. Still no clue?Allow me to explain: Because Jerusalem was not a Muslim city. And now you claim it back because it is under “Jewish occupation!” The refusal to pray at the church was very noble of the Prophet Omar. I personally do not expect you, dear Islamists, to behave as virtuously and gallantly as the prophet, but at least you can do something easier: Stop fighting for a city that belonged to other faiths before your ancestors conquered it.”

Hungary's "Revival of the the Cult of Anti-Semitism" by Soeren Kern

"Some analysts believe the open climate of anti-Semitism in Hungary is partly being fuelled by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his ruling Fidesz Party [Alliance of Young Democrats]. Orban's government has been attempting to steer Hungary through a severe economic crisis in which the unemployment rate has skyrocketed and the country's credit rating has been downgraded to "junk" status."

Jon Stewart Fails to Question Roger Waters's Anti-Israel Extremism

"In addition, Waters is a “juror” on, and supporter of, a kangaroo court called the “Russell Tribunal on Palestine,” in which anti-Israel activists stage mock hearings to declare Israel guilty in absentia. In that capacity, Waters has personally accused Israel of “violations of international law...in complicity with the government of the United States,” and lent his song “The Wall” to protests against Israel’s anti-terror security barrier."

BBC promotes Gaza film company which uses anti-Semitic imagery

"According to Zaitoon’s website, its clients include UNICEF and the British Council, which is of course funded by the British Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office – which also funds the BBC World Service.
It seems fairly self-evident that the BBC should not be promoting a company which uses antisemitic imagery, encourages violence and trades in blatant political propaganda which (to put it mildly) does nothing to contribute to preparing Palestinian children for peace with their neighbours."

CAMERA: Ha'aretz's Burston Likens Israel's [Non-]Violation of Court Injunction to 'Naqba'

"Given that the news pages of Ha'aretz are falsely reporting that Israel violated a High Court injunction by evacuating Palestinian protesters from a tent camp in the controversial E-1 area, it comes as no surprise that their Op-Ed columnists are doing no better. Columnist Bradley Burston takes the false charge to a new level, charging that Israel's alleged violation of Justice Neal Hendel's injunction is no less than a "Naqba"(!)."

IDF beefs up security on spokesmen after death threats

Photos circulated of Avichay Adraee, head of the army’s Arabic desk, with a bullet in his forehead
Adraee was listed as “Wanted” on a Hamas website, for example. In recent weeks, harassment against him intensified via social media and pro-Palestinian sites. Edited images of him with a red swastika behind him, and Adolf Hitler in front of him, were circulated, as was a photo of him with a large, bloody bullet lodged in the center of his forehead.

US downplays report confirming Syrian chemical attack

Account in Foreign Policy about agent deployed by Assad forces inconsistent with what America ‘believes to be true,’ says spokesman
"The comment came close on the heels of a report in Foreign Policy Magazine to the effect that investigations by US diplomats into a Syrian army attack in Homs on December 23, 2012, found that President Bashar Assad’s forces had used a chemical known as “Agent 15″ or “BZ.”

Report: Syria Has 500 Scud Missiles Aimed at Israel

"Syria has 500 scud missiles aimed at Israel, Israel’s Channel 2 is reporting. Citing Lebanese media, Channel 2 says that in the last several days Syrian forces have deployed Russian-made missiles near the border with the Jewish state."

HRW: Syrian Regime Using Egyptian-Made Cluster Bombs

83 dead as explosion rocks Syrian university

"Twin blasts inside a university campus in Syria’s largest city on Tuesday set cars ablaze, blew the walls off dormitory rooms and left more than 80 people dead, anti-regime activists said."

Israeli envoy urges UN to keep Syrian WMDs from Hezbollah

Ambassador Ron Prosor tells Security Council that Lebanese Shiite militia could obtain chemical weapons from Assad regime
“We have a responsibility to prevent the world’s most dangerous weapons from falling into the hands of the world’s most dangerous actors,” Prosor said.

Hitler Honored in Upscale Instanbul Mall

Turkey is now not only openly hostile to the Jewish State, but also to the Jewish people.
"On Friday, January 11, a Turkish citizen took a picture to show exactly how belligerent Turkey has become. The picture is of a huge poster with the words, “Who Would You Like to Meet if You Could?” and the last name, and only photograph, is of Adolf Hitler. The other choices include Suleiman I, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Napolean Bonaparte, the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Vladimir Lenin, Boris Yeltsin, Leonardo Da Vinci, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Jackson. But only Hitler warranted a picture, a huge one at that."

Dutch Jewish Writer Refuses to Pay Taxes in Protest of EU Aid to Egypt

"Leon de Winter, who is Jewish, wrote in a recent editorial that he was disgusted by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s comments that Jews are the “descendants of apes and pigs,” a common antisemitic Islamic trope.Winter described Morsi as “a seasoned anti-Semite, the leader of a religious-political group that cannot be described as anything other than an Islamic-fascist movement.”"

English soccer stars release Holocaust education film
Clip was produced during national team’s visit to Poland for a tournament last summer

Donald Trump endorses Netanyahu for PM
Colorful billionaire wades into elections, tells Israelis ‘You have a great prime minister… there’s nobody like him’

Also:

The beheading of a housemaid in Saudi Arabia highlights slave-like conditions (h/t Gidon)

Murdered Diplomacy: How the Israel-Palestinian Conflict Has Been Totally Transformed (Barry Rubin)

EoZ. NYC. 1/29.

Stay tuned.

Morsi the Jew-hater update: New videos, ElderToon

This is one of the videos that got the US to condemn Egyptian president Morsi yesterday, finally translated by MEMRI:

Mohamed Morsi: One American president after another – and most recently, that Obama – talks about American guarantees for the safety of the Zionists in Palestine. [Obama] was very clear when he uttered his empty words on the land of Egypt. He uttered many lies, of which he couldn’t have fulfilled a single word, even if he were sincere – which he is not.

[...]

Dear brothers, we must not forget to nurse our children and grandchildren on hatred towards those Zionists and Jews, and all those who support them. They must be nursed on hatred. The hatred must continue.

UK-based Al Quds said that the exposure of these videos, as well as any move to publicize embarrassing statements made by Arabs, was a Zionist plot against Morsi, and was akin to "McCarthyism." (This particular video was first exposed on Arabic media.)

Meanwhile, Morsi responded, saying that the comments were "taken out of context."

He's right:

Speaking of lies...

Here's another just released by MEMRI where Morsi claims to have worked for NASA - and he denies ever saying that

Following are excerpts from statements made by Egyptian talk-show host Mahmoud Saad, which aired on Al-Nahar TV on January 11, 2013.

Mahmoud Saad: Let’s see what [Morsi] said in an interview with Nader Al-Bakkar:

Footage of Nader Al-Bakkar’s interview with Mohamed Morsi

Mohamed Morsi: I never said or wrote that I used to work for NASA. This never happened. I have never worked for NASA. I never wrote that I did. My CV does not say that I worked for NASA.

Cut back to studio

Mahmoud Saad: What do you think? This is Dr. Mohamed Morsi’s CV: “Dr. Mohamed Morsi is the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, and a former member of the Guidance Council of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

[...]

“He conducted research for NASA and worked for NASA.” This is what you wrote. They say that I don’t understand the difference between working and being a consultant. He didn’t work there, nor was he a consultant, and there is nothing wrong with that. What is shameful is that the president wrote things that are not true. That is what is shameful. That is the problem.

Morsi told Nader Al-Bakkar that none of this was true, even though he himself had said, in an interview with Khairi Ramadhan, that he had worked for NASA. Let’s watch.

Footage of Khairi Ramadhan’s interview with Mohamed Morsi

Mohamed Morsi: I worked in teaching, in industry, and as a consultant for NASA, in the field of spaceship engines. I did this for a long period. I conducted a lot of research on this.

Cut back to studio

Mahmoud Saad: I don’t get it. He said that he had worked as a consultant for NASA for a long time. This means that he worked there. Then he took it back in the interview with Nader Al-Bakkar. What is this?

Amnesty hypocrisy: French try to avoid civilian casualties, Israelis don't

From AlertNet:

"With the current intervention of the French, we are, of course, very afraid that the humanitarian situation will worsen very quickly," said Salvatore Saguès, West Africa researcher at Amnesty International.

He said civilian casualties were virtually unavoidable - despite France's best efforts to target rebel fighters in its bombing campaign - because rebels were living among civilians.

"It is simply impossible to really separate the armed groups and the population because the armed groups (are) in towns, in civilian buildings," Saguès told AlertNet in a phone interview.

Did Amnesty show any similar understanding of Israel's attempts to only target terrorists and avoid civilian casualties? Did Amnesty notice the difference between a Western state and the Islamist terrorist group it was fighting as it does in Mali, a nation that cannot possibly directly threaten France with rockets? Did it ever refer to "Israel's best efforts" to avoid civilian casualties when the terrorists were hiding among civilians?

Of course not. To Amnesty, Israel and terror groups are interchangeable.

As the conflict escalates between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, Amnesty International is calling for an international arms embargo and for the immediate deployment of international monitors.

“International monitors with the ability to investigate human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law need to be on the ground as soon as possible in both Gaza and Israel to carry out independent, impartial assessments of violations by both sides,” said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director.

“The UN Security Council should meet urgently to impose an international arms embargo on Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.”

Pending such an embargo, all states should immediately suspend transfers of weapons, munitions and related equipment to Israel, the Hamas de facto administration, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.

There is no doubt that the French are justified in helping fight terrorists in Mali. However, the hypocrisy of how human rights organizations give France the benefit of the doubt while slamming Israel for doing the same thing is disgusting.

Hamas deputy political head Moussa Abu Marzouk insists that the Qassam Brigades, Hamas' terrorist wing, will remain under any unity deal with Fatah.

Abu Marzouk said in comments broadcast on Al-Risala Wednesday that the issue has not been raised in negotiations "because the Qassam Brigades can not be removed from the equation of confrontation with the occupation."

There had been rumors that Fatah was asking that the Qassam Brigades be dismantled or subsumed in the PA security forces.

Echoing Hezbollah's logic in keeping a separate militia while participating in the Lebanese government, Abu Marzouk insisted that the Qassam Brigades were the only professional security forces with the ability to protect Palestinian Arabs from Israel.

"Abbas turned down a billion dollars to pledge not to go to ICC"

An unnamed Fatah leader was quoted in the Al Mayadeen channel as saying that international figures offered the PA a billion dollars - which would solve the financial crisis - if Mahmoud Abbas would vow not to go to the International Criminal Court to accuse Israeli leaders on war crimes.

The Fatah leader said that this "method of financial blackmail practiced by the world against the martyr Yasser Arafat is now being practiced against Mahmoud Abbas but will not sway the Palestinian people and their leadership.

The story is almost certainly bogus and deliberately planted to make Abbas sound like a strong leader. It seems very unlikely that any "international party" would throw a billion dollars at the PA for any reason, let alone to help Israel avoid a legal confrontation. Just think of the backlash against any Western government that does that!

More likely the story is being released to head off any protests by the PA workers who are not getting paid. This way any protesters would be painted as being anti-nationalist or even Zionist.

The comments at the Fatah-oriented Palestine Press Agency are overwhelmingly positive for Abbas' alleged decision.

(h/t Missing Peace)

Terrorists hold a party in oppressive Israeli prison (video)

From Times of Israel:

A video clip showing convicted Palestinian terrorists celebrating the engagement of one of their own in an Israel prison was posted to the Internet and has been raising ire over the conditions granted the convicts by the Israeli authorities.

The story was broken by the Hakol Hayehudi website on Tuesday before it was reported on by the mainstream Hebrew media. The video was apparently filmed with a cellphone smuggled into the prison against regulations.

The focus of the video is Samar Abu Kwick, who is serving three life sentences in Eshel Prison for terror attacks against Israelis during the Second Intifada.

In the undated clip, several inmates are seen gathered in a cell around tables laid out with drinks and snacks, reportedly to celebrate Kwick’s engagement. As music blares in the background, the inmates greet Kwick with hugs and kisses before settling down to enjoy the feast.

Kwick was convicted of murdering Sarah Lisha and the two IDF soldiers Elad Valenstein and Amit Zana in a 2000 terror attack at the Halamish junction in the West Bank.

Maariv cited Palestinian Authority sources who expressed disapproval of the video, saying it depicted life on the inside as being pleasant and could result in a tightening of conditions.

“People who watch the video can fall under the impression that life in Israeli prisons is easy and all they do all the time is have parties and feasts,” the Palestinian sources were quoted as saying.

By the way, that last statement is yet more proof of the honor/shame culture that Arabs live in. The PA is not denying that Palestinian Arab terrorists in prison have an easy life - they are just upset that people can now watch a video of it. That is how honor/shame works; appearances are more important than reality.

Egyptian "researcher" claims Israel using chemicals to destroy Al Aqsa mosque

Yesterday I noted a report that an Egyptian "researcher" Dr. Rahim Rihan determined that there were no Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, using evidence that shows otherwise.

It looks like this bogus "expert" is making other stuff up, too.

Last Friday, Rihan - who from all appearances has never stepped foot in Jerusalem - said that Israel was in its final stages of destroying the Al Aqsa mosque.

He says that in order to accelerate the demolition of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel is placing corrosive chemicals in the foundations of the mosque to achieve rapid erosion of rocks and columns.

This is not the first time the Arabs have charged Israel with using nifty chemicals that can corrode rocks to destroy the Mosque. They did it in 2009, claiming that Israel was using the chemicals to create an "artificial earthquake," and again last year, more than once.

While these Arabs (and the Mondoweiss crowd that repeats the claims) are clearly delusional, the purpose of these rumors is simply to incite Arabs against Jews.

Not that you will know this from reading the Western media.

When Arab media is fairer to the IDF than Ha'aretz

From Ha'aretz, January 15th, posted 20:16:

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip. Israel had no immediate comment Monday on the reported shooting of the man, who the Islamist Hamas-run Health Ministry said was a farmer, in the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya on the frontier with Israel.

Palestinian officials said a gunshot to the head had critically wounded 21-year-old Mustafa Abu Jarad. Doctors in the hospital at Shifa where he was treated said he had died of his injuries.

From Ma'an, posted 13:14 - seven full hours earlier:

Mustafa Abu Jarad, believed to be a farmer, was shot in the head in the town of Beit Lahiya on the border with Israel, Gaza's health ministry said earlier Monday.

The 21-year-old was taken to Shifa hospital but died later, said doctors.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said officials had checked "and apparently the incident is not related to the Israeli army".

A source speaking on condition of anonymity said Israel suspected the man was shot by a fellow Palestinian.

Either the Palestinian Arab Ma'an has better IDF sources than Ha'aretz does, or it cares more about giving the benefit of the doubt to Israel than Ha'aretz does.

Egyptian mom, kids sentenced to prison for converting to Christianity

From AsiaNews.it:

The criminal court of Beni Suef (115 km south of Cairo) has sentenced an entire family to prison for converting to Christianity. Nadia Mohamed Ali and her children Mohab, Maged, Sherif, Amira, Amir, and Nancy Ahmed Mohamed abdel-Wahab will spend 15 years in prison. Seven other people involved in the case were sentenced to five years in prison.

The case of the family of Nadia Ali Mohamed began in 2004 when, after the conversion, she and her children decided to replace their Muslim names on their identity cards with their Christian names and city of residence change. To do this she was aided by seven Registry office employees. Born Christian, she had changed her religion to marry her husband Mustafa Mohamed Abdel-Wahab. After the man's death in 1991, Nadia decided to return to her religion of origins and to push her seven children to convert. In 2006, one of the boys was arrested by police in an information center in the city of Beni Suef. Suspicious of the young man from the documents he as carrying, where he had changed its name to Bishoy Malak Abdel-Massih, police agents interrogated him for hours until he confessed his conversion to Christianity as desired by the mother. The judges then decide to stop not only the woman, but all of her children and seven clerks from the registration office, responsible for changing the documents.

An individuals religious faith is listed in Egyptian identity cards. Christians, converted to Islam for various reasons that attempt to return to the religion to which they belong have enormous difficulty in correcting their names on the documents. This leads many people to forge them, risking prison. The reverse process, ie the transition from Christianity to Islam is not hindered, and in many cases is favored by the very Registry officials.

German human rights organization IGFM has been publicizing this case. It appears to be a rare human-rights group that actually concentrates on closed nations that are real violators of rights.

(h/t Ian)

Tuesday links

From Ian:

Palestinians: Fatah's Armed Gangs Are Back by Khaled Abu Toameh

"Unless the Palestinian Authority leadership takes immediate action to stop the Fatah gunmen, scenes of anarchy, lawlessness and violence could soon return to the West Bank. The Aqsa Martyrs Brigades was responsible for hundreds of armed attacks against Israelis during the second intifada.
The US and EU, which have been funding and training the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, need to bang on the table -- now -- and demand that Abbas rein Fatah militiamen, most of whom receive their salaries from the Palestinian Authority government."

Facebook 'censors' Palestinian writer posting anti-corruption articles

"Khaled Abu Toameh has had his Facebook account suspended after a flurry of threats, seemingly simply for posting anti-corruption articles implicating the Palestinian Authority
Toameh also told The Commentator that over the past few days, he has been the subject of much online abuse, as well as threats and an apparently concerted smear campaign against him.
This recently culminated in the posting of an article on the ‘Sabbah biz’ website, accusing Toameh of being an ‘Israeli Hasbara agent’ and showing a picture of him with the Star of David on his head. The website is run by ‘Haitham Sabbah’, who is based out of Tulkarm in the West Bank."

Canada: Flyer for Vaughan protest linked slew of deadly bombings in Pakistan to an alleged ‘Zionist Plot’

"A flyer promoting a Monday-night protest at the Pakistan Consulate in Vaughan linked deaths of Shia muslims in Pakistan to an alleged “Zionist Plot.”
The flyer, entitled “Massacre of Shia Muslims,” is emblazoned in large red letters and features blood dripping over the top of the image. Below are pictures of suffering victims and beneath an imaginary blood smear appear the words “Down with Zionist Plots.”

Ban: Jewish Outposts Bad, Arab Outposts Good
Arabs have the right to set up outposts in E1, or anywhere else - unlike Jews, who don't, said the UN Secretary-General

"In a statement, Ban said that the PA group had “the right to stage peaceful protests that must be fully respected." The statement added that Ban is “following with concern developments around the E1 area,” noting that Israeli construction in the area is “Illegal under international law,” and that “any such settlement plans for E1 must be rescinded.”

Fed up, Obama reportedly says Israel doesn’t know own interests
US president, unhappy over continued settlement building, says he has come to expect such behavior from Netanyahu

"According to a report by Bloomberg columnist Jeffrey Goldberg published Tuesday morning, Obama last month began repeating the mantra that “Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are.”

Netanyahu: No Negotiations with He Who Embraces Hamas

"If Abbas comes to the negotiating table without preconditions, he'll find me on the other side," Netanyahu says in a TV interview.

Judge Orders Destruction of Memo Linking Palestinian Authority to Suicide Attack

"Court papers say the memo links Sadeq Hafez, an operative for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group, to Raed Nazal, “who was both a salaried officer in the PA’s security services and a leader of the PFLP cell in Qalqilya,” a Palestinian Arab city in the West Bank.
On Feb. 16, 2002, Hafez blew himself up in a packed pizzeria in the Israeli settlement of Karnei Shomron, killing three teens, including Keren Shatsky, 15, and Rachel Thaler, 16."

Lieberman 'Defiled' Cave of Patriarchs, Claims Hamas

Hamas condemns former Foreign Minister Lieberman's visit to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron, saying his visit "defiled" the compound.

CAMERA: More Aritsts Call Out BDS Bullying
Addressing the BDS activists, Deghelt wrote:

"Your activism and your intolerance are abominable. Phony Facebook "fans" have posted messages expressly asking our musicians not play in Israel. This is sheer harassment. Moreover, it's really quite surprising because these fans purporting to sway the artists are not fans at all, but simply your army of little soldiers polluting the calm and positive spaces of our artists' Facebook pages. ...
What bothers me the most about your effort...is your hatred of Israel, a pathological hatred, blind and most assuredly hidden behind a veil of "political correctness." Your actions don't demonstrate a love or defense of Palestinians but rather a hatred for Israelis.

PMW: PA: "The Western Wall... no person besides Muslims ever used it as a place of worship, throughout all of history"

"The Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, said recently that all of Jerusalem and the Western Wall are "the sole right of Palestinians." To back this up, he falsely claimed that "no person besides Muslims ever used it [the Western Wall] as a place of worship, throughout all of history, until the ominous Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917."

Walid Shoebat: Muslim Brotherhood official in Egypt inadvertently admits Apartheid part of country’s history; reaction shows willingness to continue it

"One of the reasons that leftists and Islamists are so effective at projection is that they are so good at enunciating their own weaknesses and diabolical desires. They’re very good at mis-applying those weaknesses and desires to those who don’t have them. In Biblical parlance, it’s called bearing false witness… on steroids."

Video 'shows' terrorists training for border attack
Clip released by jihadist group shows operatives shooting firearms, details plan for attack that claimed life of Israeli soldier on border with Egypt

Report: Bashar al-Assad Living on a Warship in Mediterranean, Being Provided Security by Russia
Assad has lost confidence in his own security detail and lands at secret locations inside Syria from where he is transported to the presidential palace under heavy guard, the sources said.

French Jews fear anti-Semitism will destroy community
Ultra-secularism, racism cited by Jewish umbrella group in claim that Jews of France in danger

"In the first eight months of 2012, SPCJ, the security unit of French Jewish communities, counted 386 of what it called “anti-Semitic acts,” representing a 45-percent increase compared to the corresponding period in 2011, when SPCJ counted 266 such incidents. SPCJ said the figures correlated to official data by French authorities."

Youngest ‘Schindler’s List’ survivor dies at 83
Leon Leyson worked at German industrialist’s factory during the Holocaust, was so short he stood on a box to operate machinery

"Leyson rarely spoke of his experiences until the 1993 movie “Schindler’s List” sparked renewed interest. He then embarked on a public speaking career to share his story."

Time and Space: Decade After Fatal Mission, Film Covers Israeli Astronaut’s Legacy

"Israel sent one of its best on NASA’s fatal Columbia mission: Israel Air Force (IAF) Colonel Ramon was 46, an engineer (electronics and computers), a pilot, married and a father of four. As a combat pilot, he was an integral part of the 1981 raid on the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak. He trained for Columbia at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. Officially designated as a payload specialist, Ramon was described by Commander Mike Anderson as “fully integrated with the crew.”

For Dutch teens, ‘Jew’ the new ‘cool’
Netherlands high school students found by linguist to be using moniker ‘jood’ as synonym for ‘awesome’

This water expert from Israel is on a mission to save the Noyyal

"Nano-filtration is a proven success in Israel. Here also it is possible to make dry cubes of separated effluents which can be disposed off in safe places. It is up to the government to ensure such a facility to dispose off the dry wastes. In Israel, the government has demarcated the dump yard and this has helped restore several water bodies,'' he said.

White House condemns Morsi's anti-semitic statements

From JPost:

The White House on Tuesday strongly condemned comments that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was reported to have made in 2010 when he was a Muslim Brotherhood leader and which were widely regarded as anti-Semitic in nature.

White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that the language Morsi had used was "deeply offensive" and that US officials raised concerns with the Egyptian government on the matter.

Nearly three years ago, Morsi, as an Islamist political leader, delivered a speech urging Egyptians to "nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred" for Jews and Zionists. In a television interview months later, he described Zionists as "these bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs."

Carney noted, however, that Morsi, as president, had helped broker an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza and had promised to uphold Egypt's peace treaty with Israel.

The president also labeled Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as "a waste of time and opportunities" as Arabs and Muslims get nothing out of engagement with "the descendants of apes and pigs."

The comments were discovered in translated interviews published earlier in the month by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

In the first interview, aired on Lebanon's Al-Quds TV on September 23, 2010, Morsi denounced the Palestinian Authority as a creation of "the Zionist and American enemies for the sole purpose of opposing the will of the Palestinian people." Therefore, he stressed, "No reasonable person can expect any progress on this track."

"Either [you accept] the Zionists and everything they want, or else it is war," Morsi said, "This is what these occupiers of the land of Palestine know – these blood-suckers, who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs."

In the result, according to MEMRI, Morsi called on Arabs and Muslims worldwide to "employ all forms of resistance against...those criminal Zionists, who attack Palestine and the Palestinians."

"Pressure should be exerted upon them," Morsi continued, so that Jews should "not be given any opportunity [to] stand on any Arab or Islamic land."

In a separate interview translated by MEMRI, aired on the same network on March 20, 2010, Morsi affirmed that "The Zionists have no right to the land of Palestine.... What they took before 1947-8 constitutes plundering, and what they are doing now is a continuation of this plundering. By no means do we recognize their Green Line. The land of Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, not to the Zionists."

Morsi concluded that the Arab-Islamic world "want[s] a country for the Palestinians on the entire land of Palestine...[and] all the talk about a two-state solution and about peace is nothing but an illusion." The Jews, he said, "have been fanning the flames of civil strife wherever they were throughout history. They are hostile by nature.... The Zionists understood nothing but the language of force."

I am looking forward to seeing the reaction in the Arabic media to this.

Work accident!

Islamic Jihad proudly announces the death of Ibrahim Jamil Harazin:

Harazin, 23, of the Shijaia district, was "one of the most prominent Gaza Brigade Mujahadeen" who was "elevated" to be a martyr Tuesday evening during a "jihadist mission."

His brother Majid was also an Islamic Jihad member who was "martyred" in 2007.

Islamic Jihad's military statement said "We in the Al-Quds Brigades gladly accept the martyrdom of this Mujahid, to emphasize that the blood of the martyrs will remain a lamp illuminating the Mujahideen towards the path of honor and dignity, and to move forward in the approach of resistance until the liberation of all of beloved Palestine."

I would like to add my own support for many, many more such martyrs who reach paradise without managing to kill anyone but themselves.

Return of the Terrorist Wookies

Islamic Jihad just held some public relations exercises for its Al Quds Brigades, and that means they are breaking out the Wookies!

They blend in so well with their surroundings.

Here is the famous Islamic Jihad synchronized urination ceremony

Previous Wookie photos here.

Why the Arabs fear a right-wing Israeli government (Mordechai Kedar)

An absolute must-read from Arab expert Mordechai Kedar:

The elections are approaching in Israel, and polls are predicting what the Arab media calls, with great dread, "the meteoric rise of the radical right in Israel". Every article about the Israeli political map has the latest polls, showing the obvious trend that all of us here are aware of. In recent days this writer's telephone has been ringing constantly, with a representative of one Arab media outlet or another on the other end, all of whom are absorbed by one great concern: the strengthening of the Jewish spirit in Israel. The radio stations in the Palestinian Authority, where - I must admit - I am often interviewed, express the most apprehension.

The question is: Why is the Arab world so concerned and what are they worried about?

The reasons for the concern stem from the cultural mindset of the region. An Israel that has a strong character and is confident of itself and the justice of its cause, might stop behaving like a dishrag, as it has done in the past, more than once, under the irresponsible leadership of the bleeding hearts who are the "Pursuers of Peace", and might adopt a pattern of behavior typical to the Middle East.

In the embattled region where Israel is situated, the weak individual gets beaten up: he is shot at, missiles rain down upon him, his buses are blown up, he is de-legitimized, marginalized diplomatically, sued in international courts, states are established on his back that threaten him and declare their violent struggle against him again and again, and he - the weak one - must take all of this garbage that is rained down upon him and say, "It's only words". Sometimes he issues a warning but few take him seriously because he is weak and obsequious; he "seeks peace".

In contrast, only the strong and self-confident, he who can pose a threat, who does not restrain himself at all from utilizing full force, who will not surrender anything due to him, will have peace and tranquility. Everyone else will leave him be because they fear him, and this is the only peace that is recognized in the Middle East.

The Arab world fears an Israel that after the elections might be - good heavens - more Jewish, because then the world might remember that the Jews, not the Israelis, were expelled from here 1942 years ago, and now the Jews have returned to their historic land - Judea. A more Jewish Israel might be a "bad" example to Europe, where a sense of national identity is in continual decline and where they watch with indifference the alien invasion that is threatening the character of Europe. The strengthening of the Israeli Right might therefore encourage the European Right to put an end to the great immigration of the masses who expect to turn Europe into their land.
...

A Jewish Israel will present a solid wall of defense against Islamic radicalization and tribalism in the Arab world, and will prove that only a people who clings to its identity and is faithful to its heritage can stand strong against the tidal wave of radicalization and violence that engulfs the Middle East, and this is exactly what frightens our neighbors: those who hoped that with the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, Israel would be paralyzed with fear and would flee from all of its assets, discover that, contrary to their theory, Israel is the state of the Jewish Brotherhood, and will not flee from an enemy. A Jewish state such as this will prove to those near and far that the Jews have returned to their historical and eternal homeland and will remain there forever and ever, and only this way will Israel win peace from her neighbors. It will not be a peace of hugs and kisses, because there is no such thing in the Middle East, but rather it will be a peace that stems from our neighbors' recognition of the reality that the Almighty has imposed upon them, and the realization that they have no choice but to accept it as it is. Within Islamic tradition, there is a way to give peace to infidels who are invincible; temporary peace that continues as long as the enemy is invincible. This is the peace that Israel can win from her neighbors, and it will continue forever, but only if Israel is invincible forever.

A more Jewish Israel will ensure peace among all of the citizens and will oblige her neighbors to leave her in peace, and this is the reason that her neighbors fear a more Jewish Israel.

Read the whole thing.

(h/t Yoel)

AFP bias as PalArabs seethe over Lieberman visit to Hebron

From AFP:

The Palestinian Authority on Monday slammed a pre-election visit by hardline Israeli nationalist leader Avigdor Lieberman to a West Bank mosque as a "provocation" and "completely unacceptable."

"This visit is a provocation to Palestinian feeling," government spokeswoman Nour Odeh told AFP. "Especially by Lieberman, who has declared his aggression against the Palestinian people and who supports settlement."

Lieberman visited a mosque? Really?

Only in next to last paragraph do we learn:

During his visit to the city Lieberman called at the flashpoint religious site known as the Cave of the Patriarchs to Jews and the Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims.

Oh, so he visited the second holiest Jewish shrine that predates Islam by 2000 years - and AFP calls it a "mosque."

Now, Jews are allowed to visit the Cave of the Patriarchs by agreement with the PLO in the Wye River Accords. There is nothing remotely untoward about Lieberman visiting there.

But Palestinian Arabs have learned that if they seethe publicly about anything, the world media will take them seriously. AFP is too lazy to note that the PLO is cynically attempting to equate this visit with Sharon's equally legal visit to the Temple Mount in 2001 that was used as a transparent excuse to start a terror war.

The inciters in the PLO routinely manufacture outrage in the hope that it will translate into pressure on Israel. The media, way too often, enables them, without a modicum of fact checking.